RED BANK – For Ramy Yacouv, learning to run The Windward Deli in Red Bank was a challenge.
“I had jobs in other fields,” Yacouv said. “I was an mechanical engineer at one time and I also had a convenience store that operated with a Gulf gas station in Linden. I have the background in managing and running businesses, but when it comes to the food part of it, I had hit a roadblock. I had to teach myself that end because of how crucial it was to making the business thrive and survive.”
Yacouv enjoyed cooking, but that was mainly to do with food from his home country.
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“Cooking has always been one of my most passionate hobbies,” Yacouv said. “I originally learned from my grandmother, growing up in Egypt, from a young age. That was my starting point, but, after coming to America, I wanted to combine my food with food from this country. The two worlds had to meet and assimilate together well or else I would have little business from my customers.”
As a younger man, Yacouv worked in his father’s baby clothes factory in Egypt and learned the ropes of how to manage a business. He oversaw 150 workers and made sure that each one of them was properly trained.
“My father had run this business since 1975,” Yacouv said. “I graduated from college with a degree in engineering, but I chose to keep working at my father’s factory, continuing his legacy. Working at my father’s factory was the only way that I could have ever learned how to manage a business, so I am very grateful for that opportunity and I now have the skills to do that job full time with The Windward Deli. I feel like the business I have now is my baby. If I take care of it, it will take care of me.”
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How he got here
Yacouv recalls the school system in Egypt being quite different from that of America. Over there, a grade in school ultimately determines one’s trade. For Yacouv, he was a good student, and his grades would eventually lead him down the path to be a mechanical engineer.
“Even though I was assigned to that program, I did it willingly because it interested me and I wanted to see it through,” Yacouv said. “I went on to work in a Mercedes-Benz factory for 10 years after getting my education in that profession. I tried to do that and work for my father at the same time, but I eventually chose the family business.”
Yacouv moved to the United States in 2012 and got his Gulf gas station job right away.
“Managing a business here is not like doing it back in my home country,” Yacouv said. “It is a lot easier to do it back in Egypt because America is so fast-paced and demanding. Even though that served as a challenge for me, I did get used to it.”
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As far as owning and running a business goes, Yacouv believes there are many challenges and expectations.
“Whether it is running my father’s factory or managing the Gulf gas station or running The Windward Deli, my consistency and success depend on getting into a rhythm and finding a way to keep the business thriving with new and interesting ideas,” Yacouv said.
“All the places I’ve worked have been different, as far as the product goes and the way the business functions,” Yacouv said. “One thing that all businesses have in common is that they are all about the customer. If the customer is happy, then the business will do well. As long as you take pride in your business, customers will recognize that and want to keep coming back.”
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While still working his job at the Gulf station, Yacouv got in touch with the owner of The Windward Deli in Red Bank through a broker. The owner had run The Windward Deli since 1991 and was looking to retire.
“It only took 45 days for me to buy the business and get everything squared away,” Yacouv said. “I have been running the business since 2017 and I really enjoy it to this day.”
First, make the customer happy
Over his many years managing different businesses, and now, especially with The Windward Deli, Yacouv always reminds himself of something he learned from his father a long time ago. Yacouv’s father, Matrem Yacouv, taught him that making the customer happy is a lot more important than just turning a profit.
“It is something that I will never forget,” Yacouv said. “In all my years of working and striving to be my best, I will take that peace of mind with me and use it as my base to inspire confidence in myself and keep my eye on what really matters. I was never sure what it truly meant as a young kid, but now, I remember it all the time.”
Yacouv’s deli has many different kinds of food. From the main menu, some of his most popular dishes include salads, quesadillas and Italian wraps. Yacouv also sells shish kebabs, Greek salads and falafels.
“I cook everything here and 100 percent of it is all main ingredients from my own recipe,” Yacouv said. “Everything cooked up for customers is extremely authentic and tastes just like my grandmother made it at home when I was little. I really strive to recreate the food from my family background and I love the looks of satisfaction on my customers’ faces when they first bite into my exquisite cuisine.”
Yacouv hopes to get his 10-year-old daughter interested in carrying on the business after he steps down. She already shows curiosity in how the business works.
“I want to pass on that same expertise to her that my father passed on to me,” Yacouv said. “She likes to learn and when she asks questions about how the business works, I can tell she is really into it and wants to know more about it. I can’t wait to get her involved.”
The Windward Deli
Location: 254 Maple Ave., Red Bank
Phone: 732-219-5775
Website: www.windwarddeli.com
Hours: 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
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